S Natarajan and
the Melattur Bhagavatamela traditionAnusha Natarajan speaks to him at
Melattur on May 26, 2002
e-mail: natarajan_anush@hotmail.com

Jul 2002

Between 1561-1614, Achyutappa Nayaka, a ruler of Tanjore belonging to
the Nayak dynasty, granted a village Achyutapuram (named after him), now
called Melattur, to 501 refugee families of Kuchipudi dancers who migrated
to Tamilnadu after the fall of the Vijaynagar Empire. Melattur is a small
village 20 km from Thanjavur in Southern Tamilnadu, India. Considered an
offshoot of the Kuchipudi dance tradition, Bhagavatamela, a temple ritualistic
dance tradition of hereditary male dancers, is based mostly on plays written
in Telugu by Melattur Venkatrama Sastry (1743-1809 A.D), a senior contemporary
of Thyagaraja, the great saint, singer and composer of South India. He
authored 12 dance dramas of which 6 are in vogue today, the most famous
being Prahlada Charitamu. The great Bhagavatamela tradition is thus a rare
temple theatre art in a unique blend of bhakti (devotion), music, dance
and drama and is the only surviving link today in Tamilnadu that connects
us with the ancient Sanskrit theatre as prescribed by sage Bharata.

The players were originally recruited from the local Brahmin community.
The mela's popularity waxed and waned till it stopped completely in 1937.
It was at this critical moment that V Ganesa Iyer, grandfather of Natarajan,
revived the mela. He presented Markandeya in 1938 in the local Ganesha
temple and followed it with Usha Parinayam the following year. In 1940
they shifted the traditional venue to the Varadaraja Perumal temple. The
Bhagavatamela natakams of Melattur Venkatarama Sastry are performed annually,
facing the sanctum of Lord Varadaraja, the presiding deity of Melattur
village as a part of the Sri Narasimha Jayanti Vasantotsav.

S Natarajan, an electrical engineer from Dubai in the Middle East, has
been trained by his father Swaminathan Iyer, grandfather Ganesa Iyer, veteran
Balu Bagavathar and K.P. Kittappa Pillai, who composed a set of jathis
for Natarajan and named them the Melattur jathis. Natarajan excels in female
roles, most notable being Leelavathi in Prahlada Charitamu, Chandramathi
in Harischandra, Yasodha in Kamsavadham. Every year, Natarajan travels
from Dubai to Melattur for the purpose of staging the Bhagavatamela festival
in May - June. Melattur Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Jayanti Bhagavata Mela Natya
Nataka Sangam was established in 1938. This group led now by Natarajan
has completed 62 years of uninterrupted enactment of the Bhagavatamela
natakams (dance dramas) in Melattur.

On Natarajan's shoulders lies the immense responsibility of keeping
the tradition of the Bhagavatamela alive and going. With scant financial
backing but blessed with a team of dedicated male dancers who give him
excellent support in his endeavors, he and his equally dedicated family
members, put in their level best to preserve and maintain this ancient
tradition. Thanks to Natarajan's dedicated service to this art, the mela
is now famous across the globe.

The 62nd Bhagavata Mela Nataka Mahotsav 2002 was presented
by the members of SLNJ Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam, at Sri Varadaraja
Perumal temple, Melattur from the 24th.May to 1st June 2002.

Despite 2 all night programs, Mr.Natarajan found time to speak to us
about the subject close to his heart. He was very keen to acquaint the
readers of NOL with the Bhagavatamela tradition, its glories and travails.

How
many years has the Bhagavatamela been going on as performance in Melattur?It has been
recorded only from 1888, but it has not been continuous. There have been
lots of breaks in between. From 1938, we have been performing for the last
62 years. This is the 62nd year.

How did
your family's association with Bhagavatamela start?In 1938, we
started the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Jayanti Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam,
since then our family has been involved. My grandfather was very interested
in this art and he did not want the art to die. Earlier Telugu families
were involved in this, but as I said earlier, it was very sporadic. One
year there would be something, followed by 2 or 3 years of inactivity.
My father wanted to revive it, and my grandfather gave support. A group
of veterans like Balu Bhagavatar, my sister in law's father Ramamurthy
Iyer, Gopala Iyer, Ramani Iyer, and my grandfather got together and started
this group.

Through
so many years of performance, what are the changes you witness, on and
off stage?I was born
in 1943. Even at the young age of 3, it is still fresh in my memory… to
be frank with you, it used to be rather crude and quite lacking both in
bhakti as well as in art. It was mere performance, that's all.

When you
say crude, you mean it lacked a definite style or direction?In all respects!

Through
the years of performance, has there been a change in standard of performance,
maybe betterment? Or a commercialization, that sets in any field in the
course of time? Has the flavor changed over the years?No. When I
was very young, I remember the older members could not take instructions
from younger ones. That was the problem. From 1984 onwards, I took over
complete direction of everything. As for commercialization, absolutely
no. In fact I would say this is the best period for the Bhagavatamelam.
That's because we have well trained boys like Srikanth, Vijay, Arvind and
Aniruddh and every year, we are getting in 1 or 2 new boys into this. That
has really helped and on the music side, we have very young and talented
artistes like Narasimhan and Venkatesan called the Thiruvaiyaru brothers.
So, all have added to the betterment of the plays. We have even improved
a lot on the stage. I can't say that costumes that we are using now are
traditional. Of course, I want to switch over to the traditional costumes.
I can't afford it right now. Possibly after getting some financial support.

Were the
traditional costumes stitched or unstitched?Earlier they
were unstitched. But we can have them stitched and still preserve their
authenticity.

What caused
the change in costumes to the present wardrobe? Was it convenience in handling?First of all
is the investment and then its preservation for a whole year. We could
not afford that. Affordability is what caused the change.

There is
a feeling that the Bhagavatamela and few other dance forms are being influenced
greatly by Bharatanatyam, because it's the most prevalent dance form in
India right now. How far do you think it is true - if at all it is?Only Prahlada
was played in Melattur even till 1938. Nobody has seen what the original
style was. The technique that we are following is what we have been doing
in Prahlada. Definitely, it will have the influence of Bharatanatyam because
that is the most prevalent style in this region. It is a very difficult
situation because there is nobody who knows the original format to guide
us. Neither are there any records to show us.

An onlooker
happened to mention that Mr.Kumar's (played Hiranyakashipu in Prahlada
Charitamu) style was more Bhagavatamela style while the others tended to
lean more towards the Bharatanatyam style.Kumar is doing
more of the tandava style while I do more of lasya, the other boys also.
Natesa Iyer (one of several bhagvatars of great merit and distinction who
contributed towards sustaining this art) has learnt regular Bharatanatyam
from dasis. So, definitely he should have also been doing what I am doing.
Basically, Balu Bagavathar, who is the one person who had witnessed earlier
performances, trained me. I happen to have improvised a little more because
his hastha prayogams would be totally different. I have only improved a
bit over it.

"Kamsa Vadham"

"Usha Parinayam"

"Prahlada Charitamu"
Extreme left - S Natarajan

"Rukmini Kalyanam"
2nd from left - S Natarajan

As
such there is no text that you can follow?No.

Is there
any influence by the Sopanam music of Kerala in the Bhagavatamela music?No, it is
purely classical Carnatic music.

Coming from
Chennai where we see a surplus of Bharatanatyam recitals, do you think
Melattur can present other theater forms like Chakkiyarkoothu, for instance,
instead of the Bharatanatyam recitals interspersed with the Bhagavatamela
evening programs.Actually,
when we had the Golden Jubilee performance in 1990, I invited all these
theatre groups and they participated. We had lecture demonstrations, which
I have documented. The thing is, we use Bharatanatyam just as an interlude
because we cannot perform continuously on all nights. Those days, there
used to be no fillers in-between the melam days and the temple would be
dark and empty. I did not want that.

There should
be some performance, like Bharatanatyam, so the younger ones will be motivated.
We can get in theater performances, but we cannot afford to pay them. Those
who are performing here, all perform for free. I only provide the stage,
lights and local hospitality.

The repertoire
set out by the Tanjore Quartet would be rather recent if compared to the
Bhagavatamela tradition. But one is able to observe a similar format in
the overall performance of the melam. Could one have been inspired by the
other?All the shabdams
that are performed in Kuchipudi now, are from Melattur. Ramar Pattabhishekam
Shabdam, Mandooka Shabdam are all by Melattur Kasinatha Iyer. All the earliest
alarippus (called Mei), javalis and thillanas were from Melattur. Melattur
Veerabadraiah was the guru for Ramaswamy Dikshitar who used to come and
learn here.

What would
be the chronology of the emergence of the Bhagavatamela in the 5 villages
where it was performed?Matamangalam
was 10 years elder to Melattur, but Melattur, Soolamangalam and Oothukaadu
followed Melattur script. Matamangalam, Melattur, Saliamangalam, Soolamangalam
and Oothukaadu were donated to scholars who migrated from Andhra and settled
down here. These were like small colonies. All were devoted to the promotion
of art. Not only did dance dramas flourish, even music saw a resurgence.
The beauty is that everyone seems to have had their training at Melattur.
Even composers at Saliamangalam had their training from Veerabadraiah.

Why is Markandeya
Charitam not performed very often?Whenever we
performed Markandeya, we have lost somebody in the village. It's
very powerful; it's definitely a divine art. The make-up for Dharmaraja
is not done in the hall, but is done in the middle of the street. After
the make-up is over, when he is being escorted to the stage, nobody is
allowed to cross his path. So, we keep sentries. I have seen this performed
8 times, and every time somebody passed away.

Some of the
other plays we perform are Harihara Leela Vilasam (Basmasoora Vadham which
is the birth of Ayappa), Harischandra, Usha Parinayam, Rukmini Kalyanam,
and Sati Savitri.

What is
your impression of young dancers today?All the performances
that I see in Madras are by very good dancers, they are very talented and
very well trained. The only thing is, when they do perform on stage, it
is technically good, but it doesn't evoke….it doesn't convey the message
that it is supposed to, that particular something is lacking.

What is
the financial support that the Bhagavatamela depends on?That's a nice
question. In the earlier stages, from 1938 to 1952, we were mainly putting
in our own resources. My grandfather even sold lots of his lands and managed
the expenses. From 1952, we had a small support from the Sangeet Natak
Akademi. But that was insufficient. My father was running a grocery store.
He diverted all the income from the shop to support this. After I went
abroad, I was able to mobilize some funds. For the last few years, we have
been getting some support from other sources, like banks and private establishments,
so we have been managing somehow. But that is still not enough and
a major contribution comes from my family.
Conduct of
the annual Bhagavata Mela Nataka Utsav and implementation of projects including
management of Bhagavata Mela Vidyalaya that imparts systematic training
to younger generation to preserve, protect and promote the Bhagavatamela
tradition requires huge funds. Banks, establishments, connoisseurs
and patrons of music, dance and other performing arts, and ardent devotees
are most welcome to contribute their mite for the cause of this divine
art form. Though we are getting some additional funds every year, expenses
are also escalating, hence we are unable to tie both ends. I am struggling
for the past 5 years to get my Trust, tax exemption facility under 80G.

The organization
of the Bhagavatamela has been coming down through your family through the
years. Do you think, your daughters will continue this tradition?My daughter
Priyamvada is a student of Chitra Visweswaran. I have taught her everything.
Somebody should know about this. I have done roles in all the plays. So,
I have brought in a certain presentation style. I am sure these boys will
also uphold the tradition.

This is not
a family tradition. I will tell you why it was restricted to my family
those days. If you see the history in Melattur, the breaks before 1938
were all because of village fractions. If someone were playing some role,
some other would not like to join with him. So, it stopped. My grandfather
felt it would be better to have all players from one family, so minor differences
of opinion could be forgotten during the performance. Thus, it started
as a family tradition and it worked out. Now, it is no more restricted
and I am taking in other boys. Those days, there was no bhakthi, but I
feel there is bhakthi nowadays. Hence these boys will stay with us and
propagate this art.

It is very
difficult for any other person to take up the financial burden. I am trying
my level best so we don't have to worry about this. By God's grace, everything
should be through within 2 / 3 years.

You had
mentioned that you want to create a new audience for the melams, of youth,
connoisseurs that are sensitive and seeking in knowledge. What is your
vision for the future?As far as
we know, Venkatrama Shastry has composed 12 plays. We want all the 12 plays
to be performed and it should be preserved for the younger generation.
Traditionally, the performers are all from Brahmin families. I also want
to do the documentation and notate all the songs, so this tradition is
preserved for posterity. I don't want this art to die or be lost like the
Kuchipudi Yakshagana, which is almost extinct as it has been adapted to
a solo form of performance. The Yakshagana tradition is almost gone and
I don't want that to happen to Bhagavatamela.